Mosley on Monte - Autosport
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Interesting comments on the barge boards of 99
Luca di Montezemolo is a weak character and his team would not be winning races using the same budget as its rivals, according to former FIA president Max Mosley.
The former FIA president criticised di Montezemolo, the current Ferrari president, in an interview that appears in the May edition of F1 Racing on sale today.
Mosley said: "Luca is very, very good with people and he's certainly a very personable, pleasant person, but, in my opinion, he's also a very weak character so he's easily led."
Mosley's comments came after a number of revelations he made when responding to an F1 Racing reader's question on whether the FIA favoured Ferrari.
"We never did favour Ferrari, although there was this perception that we did. You could go to Ferrari and they would be completely honest and open with you; most of the other teams wouldn't do that."
However, Mosley admits that the FIA had handled the events of the Malaysian GP in 1999 incorrectly, when Ferrari was nearly thrown out of the race for barge board irregularities.
"They were legal if they were at a slight angle to the chassis and illegal if they were vertical," Mosley said. "I think that they were probably vertical, but we took them off to look at them, and then Ferrari [said], 'No, they were at a slight angle', and they got off on that basis.
"We should have impounded the entire car, but you live and learn and we would never make that mistake again."
He also claimed that Ferrari was "not prepared to take on the other teams on an equal basis," saying the Maranello squad would "fail" if it used the same budget as its rivals.
"Between January and May in 2008, we had a series of meetings and everyone was agreed on the cost-cap and the methodology - but Ferrari were always against it," said Mosley. "I think it's because they know that if they had the same amount of money to spend as the other teams, they would fail."
Mosley said that any animosity directed towards him by fans during his tenure as FIA president was as a result of misconceptions.
"If the fans really understood the issues, I don't think they would be against me, because everything I've ever done has always been done with a view to keeping Formula 1 going and stopping it collapsing," said Mosley. "It's a much more fragile structure than people realise."
Luca di Montezemolo is a weak character and his team would not be winning races using the same budget as its rivals, according to former FIA president Max Mosley.
The former FIA president criticised di Montezemolo, the current Ferrari president, in an interview that appears in the May edition of F1 Racing on sale today.
Mosley said: "Luca is very, very good with people and he's certainly a very personable, pleasant person, but, in my opinion, he's also a very weak character so he's easily led."
Mosley's comments came after a number of revelations he made when responding to an F1 Racing reader's question on whether the FIA favoured Ferrari.
"We never did favour Ferrari, although there was this perception that we did. You could go to Ferrari and they would be completely honest and open with you; most of the other teams wouldn't do that."
However, Mosley admits that the FIA had handled the events of the Malaysian GP in 1999 incorrectly, when Ferrari was nearly thrown out of the race for barge board irregularities.
"They were legal if they were at a slight angle to the chassis and illegal if they were vertical," Mosley said. "I think that they were probably vertical, but we took them off to look at them, and then Ferrari [said], 'No, they were at a slight angle', and they got off on that basis.
"We should have impounded the entire car, but you live and learn and we would never make that mistake again."
He also claimed that Ferrari was "not prepared to take on the other teams on an equal basis," saying the Maranello squad would "fail" if it used the same budget as its rivals.
"Between January and May in 2008, we had a series of meetings and everyone was agreed on the cost-cap and the methodology - but Ferrari were always against it," said Mosley. "I think it's because they know that if they had the same amount of money to spend as the other teams, they would fail."
Mosley said that any animosity directed towards him by fans during his tenure as FIA president was as a result of misconceptions.
"If the fans really understood the issues, I don't think they would be against me, because everything I've ever done has always been done with a view to keeping Formula 1 going and stopping it collapsing," said Mosley. "It's a much more fragile structure than people realise."
The fault lies with the media sticking microphones under Max's nose and imagining that anyone cares what he thinks or says. They should all be whipped! Montezemolo arrested the decline in Ferraris' fortunes in the Lauda era, and has taken them to a position of strength which could not have been dreamed of back then. Mosley was at March! Wow!
These ever more frantic attempts to reshape history aren't going to fool anyone. Just look at the change in attitude in stewarding this year compared to last to see the damage Moseley has done to the reputation of F1 in recent years. He won't be missed, and these pathetic attacks on various F1 lumaries only serve to reinforce the image of his vindictive nature.
Le Man said:
The fault lies with the media sticking microphones under Max's nose and imagining that anyone cares what he thinks or says. They should all be whipped!
If nobody is interested in what Mosley has to say then the media will see no benefit in publishing his words. I think the massive interest that Mosley engenders here demonstrates that plenty of people are interested in what he says though.These comments from MM really undermine his own credibility even further. It does seem that he has forgotten what he said about Di Montezemola at the time that he placed the largest fine in sporting history on a team where he disliked the team principal and could find no evidence of wrong doing, but it might have happened. He commented about how good his relationship had been for over 30 years with LdM at that stage, comparing it with the fact that he could not relate to RD.
Actually, now I type that, I wonder if what MM has now said is that he liked LdM because he thought LdM inferior to himself, and didn't like RD because he knew RD to be superior to him?
Actually, now I type that, I wonder if what MM has now said is that he liked LdM because he thought LdM inferior to himself, and didn't like RD because he knew RD to be superior to him?
LDN said:
........... although it is true that Ferrari were adamant about no cap on resources......
And maybe with good reason when you look at the quality of the new 'cost capped' teams... However, that's an aside. Max seemed very happy to have Ferrari finance his Monaco office for all those years, described them as a 'special case' with regard to the marketing of F1, and chose Todt as his successor. Hypocritical springs to mind.
head. Pure and simple.Plug550 said:
LDN said:
........... although it is true that Ferrari were adamant about no cap on resources......
And maybe with good reason when you look at the quality of the new 'cost capped' teams... However, that's an aside. Max seemed very happy to have Ferrari finance his Monaco office for all those years, described them as a 'special case' with regard to the marketing of F1, and chose Todt as his successor. Hypocritical springs to mind.
I think he had some very good ideas, but sadly with his vitriol, the natural reaction of his protagonists would be to dismiss them without considering their validity...cost caps are sensible and achievable without sacrificing competition, "spec" engines work, there is some value in standard parts....all sensible ideas, but as soon as he suggests them, the natural reacton is to be put on the back foot
rubystone said:
I think he had some very good ideas, but sadly with his vitriol, the natural reaction of his protagonists would be to dismiss them without considering their validity...cost caps are sensible and achievable without sacrificing competition, "spec" engines work, there is some value in standard parts....all sensible ideas, but as soon as he suggests them, the natural reacton is to be put on the back foot
you know, I really disagree with spec anything in F1F1 is supposed to be the pinical of Motorsport, including technology/development/etc.
what we are heading for is indy-cart type cars, ie. BORING low-tech V8's
at this rate you might as well just bin F1 and use GP2 cars or F3 etc.
one of the reasons the races are processional etc is the cars are becoming too boring, too little power, etc.
we are never going to develop the next bit of engine tech with the engine rules we have now....
ZeeTacoe said:
Scuffers Have you even seen an Indy car engine or are you just trolling?
yes thanks.your going to try and tell me that they are some cutting edge design etc etc now are you?
come on then, let's have it, how are they so advanced? (compared to the V10's F1 had a few years back for example)
When Balestre was ousted by the unholy alliance of Eccs and Mosley, or rather Eccs and some bloke he pikced because he spoke proper, motor sport was at a peak. You had a choice of sports: WSC and WRC were normally (although not always I agree) competative and so well supported that results were in non-specialist newspapers. Touring cars dragged thousands to circuits. I was visiting my brother, who lives near to Brands, on a touring car day and I was stuck in traffic as the fans left the circuit.
I'm not suggesting, not for a moment, that Balestre was a good leader but above everything else he was an enthusiast for motor sport. I've often wondered about Mosley's motivation. He was no fan of F1, that's for sure.
I no longer wonder about Mosley's motivation. That's not because I finally understand where he's coming from, it's that he's gone.
I asked my lad, whose a journalist, why they bothered interviewing the albatross around F1's neck and he reckoned that he had 'friends' in positions of influence.
Mosley left motorsport in a dire state, certainly considerably worse than when he took over. It gets no better for his explanations.
I'm no fan of Todt. For what he did to F1 for so many years I despise him. But since he's taken over he's shown how things should be run. Whether he will continue to be good for the sport is a matter of some doubt, but we can hope.
But what an epitaph for Mosley: Nowhere near as good as either the bloke he replaced or the bloke who replaced him. That's bad enough but the pair were Balestre and Todt.
I'm not suggesting, not for a moment, that Balestre was a good leader but above everything else he was an enthusiast for motor sport. I've often wondered about Mosley's motivation. He was no fan of F1, that's for sure.
I no longer wonder about Mosley's motivation. That's not because I finally understand where he's coming from, it's that he's gone.
I asked my lad, whose a journalist, why they bothered interviewing the albatross around F1's neck and he reckoned that he had 'friends' in positions of influence.
Mosley left motorsport in a dire state, certainly considerably worse than when he took over. It gets no better for his explanations.
I'm no fan of Todt. For what he did to F1 for so many years I despise him. But since he's taken over he's shown how things should be run. Whether he will continue to be good for the sport is a matter of some doubt, but we can hope.
But what an epitaph for Mosley: Nowhere near as good as either the bloke he replaced or the bloke who replaced him. That's bad enough but the pair were Balestre and Todt.
Scuffers said:
ZeeTacoe said:
Scuffers Have you even seen an Indy car engine or are you just trolling?
yes thanks.your going to try and tell me that they are some cutting edge design etc etc now are you?
£1.8million for a 650hp engine which typically lasts 1200 miles between rebuilds isn't bad or BORING low-tech V8's
ZeeTacoe said:
Scuffers said:
ZeeTacoe said:
Scuffers Have you even seen an Indy car engine or are you just trolling?
yes thanks.your going to try and tell me that they are some cutting edge design etc etc now are you?
£1.8million for a 650hp engine which typically lasts 1200 miles between rebuilds isn't bad or BORING low-tech V8's
we need V10/V12/V16/rotary/flat/etc engines, we need to push the boundaries, rev to 30,000 rpm, test new materials, etc.etc.etc.
if this kind of thing never happened, we would still be using horses and carts.
I am seriously worried about these 4 cylinder turbo engines limited to 550bhp....I'm all in favour of 1000 bhp 4 cylinder turbo engines...when you look at the stuff that Geoff Page rebuilds, you realise just how much of an animal those engines were...and how difficult they were to drive...but 550 bhp - jeez, GP2 has more power.....
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